Sal clutched their chest, half-afraid they’d crack, they were laughing so hard.
“Glad you’re having a good time, babe. I totally fucked the carpet.”
He was grinning, though, and Sal couldn’t help wanting to reciprocate. “I drunk peed the bed for the first time a couple of years ago.”
Curtis’s smile got bigger. “Nice.”
“I didn’t even know vagina people could do that. It was actually after Cheryl’s bachelorette party. You know, Psycho’s missus?”
“They’re trouble, those Normals. We should stay away from them.”
“Yeah, it’s definitelytheirfault and not our own stupid decisions.”
They smiled at each other, and Sal felt that hot zing again. Even more ridiculous now they were talking about such silly things.
“Anyway,” they said. “Byron’s got me beat a million times, piss-wise, so I don’t care.”
Curtis raised a brow. “Like, he pissed the bed when he was a kid?”
“Like, when he played footy. Dude used to involuntary bathroom all the time. And not in bed. He had this thing where he’d get up and piss and forget about it, and then it’d be like a fun game trying to figure out why the couch was wet.”
“Jesus,” Curtis choked. “Good one, B-boy.”
“Yeah, I called it ‘Unsolved Pissteries.’”
It was Curtis’s turn to laugh so loud that all the bar patrons stared, but again, Sal didn’t mind. They decided no one knew anything except that two people were having a fun date.
“Well,” Curtis said, wiping his eyes. “Thanks for the dirt, babe. I’ll remember that next time your brother’s up my ass about something.”
Sal licked their lips. They’d enjoyed laughing with Curtis, but they probably shouldn’t have shit-talked Byron to one of his players.
“Hey,” Curtis said, his smile fading. “I’m joking. I’m not gonna tell him anything.”
Thatwouldhave been reassuring, but then he reached out and wove his big fingers through Sal’s. Sparks like metal on metal flashed up their arm, and they thought about welding. Curtis, in his toolbelt fantasy outfit, fusing the two of them together. They squeezed his hand, then let go, picking up the old fashioned and draining it. “Do you wanna get another drink, or are you gonna stick with the murder beer? Maybe soak the floor later?”
It was a cheap joke, and Sal regretted saying it as soon as it left their mouth. But Curtis just shook his head. “I’ll get another fashioned when the waiter comes back.”
“Cool, I might join you.”
“Sounds good.” He squinted at her. “So, are we ever gonna talk about it?”
“I have zero clue what you’re on about,” Sal lied. They very much knew where this conversation was going.
“You don’t wanna hold my hand in public, and you don’t want your brother to know you’re here, do you?” he asked, confirming their suspicions.
“I just… I dunno.”
“Dunno what?”
Sal tried to hold Curtis’s gaze, but it was like staring into a supernova or something. “I’m self-conscious, okay?”
“Because I tried to touch you?”
“Yes. No. I’m not sure.”
Curtis licked his lips. “Do you know why I asked you here?”
“You wanna bang it out?”
